FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

• How many people are in the club? We started the club with five people and grew to over 50 in less than 2 years.
  By the end of 2000 our membership was over 60.
  Annually, we are 50-60+ members strong.
• What is the age range of your members? Our members range in age from 21 to over 60. The majority of our members are in their late 20's to early 40's. The ages of our club members provides a great mix of personalities and life experience. We feel one of our greatest assets as a club is the diversity and friendships we all share as a result of our participation in the club.
• What if I live someplace other than MI? Anyone, 21 and over, is welcome to join AltCamping. OH, IN, IL, PA, Canada, anywhere. You'll find that most, but not all, events are in Michigan, however.
• What about my 18-21 year old friend? As long as they are responsible adults and sponsored by a member, they can be a guest twice. After that, a request to the board of the club requesting special consideration should be made. The board will meet to consider the request and grant special membership status to those 18 to 21 years of age.
• Who runs the club? We have a five-six person board, elected by the membership, which handles the business of the club. This helps balance the responsibility and decision making among more people and provides a wider base of ideas and viewpoints.
• What is the minimum age for membership? The minimum age is 21 years of age. Exceptions to this policy are taken on a case by case basis, reviewed, and approved or rejected by the board. Currently, there is no one under 21.
• Why aren't your social activities listed on the Website? Membership has it's privileges and one of those is the availability of social events.
• What else are benefits to joining AltCamping? Monthly newsletters, email mailing lists for those with email, social activities, a members calendar listing all of the weekend trips and details about each trip, campsite markers to identify club member campsites, club business cards to pass onto friends and people who may be interested in the club, contests, prizes, reduced event fees, camping pamphlets and maps, social events, and much more.
• What kinds of events do you hold? We go horseback riding, mountain biking, hiking, swimming, hold parties, visit state parks and state recreation areas, go to museums, attend festivals, the auto show, outdoor-rama, State Fair, movies, plays, picnics, and much more. If you have not visited the past events pages you may want to take a look at the variety of things we've done in the past.
• Do I need to attend everything you do? No, but you'd have fun if you did. The idea is to provide you with a variety of things you can do, from a partial day to a full weekend. You choose the dates and items that interest you most and participate in those. If you want to do something that we're not doing let us know. You can even add it to our calendar once you're a member.
• What if I don't own a lot of camping items? We have a campsite sharing program where we try to match up people in need with those who are willing to share a campsite and/or equipment. We may be able to assist with a car ride too. You can also rent mini-cabins or tents at some campgrounds. We also hold used equipment sales. We have limited tents available for use by members that you can rent from the club for one of our weekends.
• Can I just be a guest? Guests of members are welcome to attend two events, then are required to join if they wish to continue coming to club events. If you don't know any current members, we can discuss the club and maybe meet you before extending a guest invitation to our events. Send us your name and phone numbers if you wish to be contacted personally. Occasionally we will open up a dinner, event, or weekend to non-members and make this information available to you once we receive a name, address, and phone number for you. Join our AltCamping Updated Email List of invites and emails when this website is updated so you can keep in touch with AltCamping. Non-members will pay a guest fee when club expenses are involved in the event or trip, and may need to complete an attendance form.
• Is there any regular events held every month on the same date? Maybe a regular meeting? Sort of - you see we don't hold meetings just to hold meetings. We'd rather have fun and let the board run the club. What we do have is a dinner night out on a set day of the month every month. We go to different restaurants in different cities and sometimes have an after dinner event too!
  
• What about your bowling team? Every fall many of our members bowl on the Mixed Alternative Pride League (MAPL Bowling). Substitutes are welcome as are people to cheer us on, but regular bowlers are always welcome and encouraged to sign up with us. Teams of members can receive sponsorship or co-sponsorship by the club. Banners and business cards make this a great way of getting word out about the club especially during on-the-road tournaments.
  
• What about summer bowling? We are participating in a summer bowling league. For more information, please visit our bowling team information webpage.
• Can I add events to your calendar? Yes! We have an 'open calendar' meaning that members are free and encouraged to add events, parties, picnics, movies, plays, concerts, and trips to the available mix of things we are doing. You can invite the club to an event by mail, email, phone call and so on.
  
• Do you do things with other clubs? Yes. We try to network with other groups and hold combined group events. Additionally, we will forward information on events from other clubs to those that are interested.
  
• Do you offer a prorated membership? What about a trial membership or full 12 months membership? Due to the complexity of maintaining and keeping track of membership records it is not possible for us to offer full 12 month memberships mid-year. Due to fluctuations in club expenses, newsletter thickness, and many other factors we can not prorate membership on a monthly or weekly basis. Generally we will offer a membership special rate after Labor Day each year. People on our AltCamping Updated email list may receive special offers from the board or special membership offers may be posted on this website. We believe that what we offer our members both in services, value, and attendance bonuses makes our dues a reasonable deal. If more than one member lives at the same address, we will gladly mail each member a separate newsletter. Other expenses are based on a cost per member and therefore we do not offer multiple member discounts.
• What do I do next? Email us, write us, or send in your completed application and dues and we'll contact you. If you mail or email us, please include a phone number(s) and the best time to reach you. We'll call and discuss things. If we have an event coming up soon you might be interested in, we may invite you along!